S40 2002 Loose wiper unit

mytyvolvo1 · Post by **mytyvolvo1** » 12 Aug 2009, 22:19

I am investing in a newly acquired 2002 S40 (1.9L 4cyl Turbo 5A) that is in rather good condition and 95,000 miles. This is the first fairly used car I've purchased like this, and want to take the necessary measures to sustain and prolong its performance.

The windshield wiper (driver side) is loose and hangs a bit which snags the hood when raised and lowered which has caused minor pain scratching on the edge of the hood. I could take off the blade units, manifold, and tighten the bolts, but is this enough?

What basic essentials are musts to replace, and/or check?
I assume the air filter, maybe spark plugs...

Post by **billofdurham** » 14 Aug 2009, 11:49

Welcome to Matthew's Volvo Site.

If the wiper is only loose where it sits on the splined spindle tightening should be enough unless it has been done before and someone has stripped the threads. That would need a new wiper mechanism.

Is there a service history with the car? This can help you to sort out what is needed. If not then air filter and spark plugs should be checked and replaced if necessary. Also check brake pads and discs (rotors). Bear in mind that the timing belt must be changed at 105,000 miles.

Bill.

mytyvolvo1 · Post by **mytyvolvo1** » 15 Aug 2009, 09:39

I made sure that it wasn't the wiper itself that had a loose nut or malfunctioned because of stripped splines. The whole unit moves actually. Could it be something if the bar that seems to connect the two wipers moves when you jiggle the drivers wiper? I dissected the whole thing to get to tighten the three nuts that hold the wiper unit to the car, but that didn't really do much (possible I didn't do a mechanic quality job).

There is no service history with the car unfortunately. I'll look at the spark plugs and air filter.

I'm not too sure what I'm looking for with the brake pads and rotors.

Thanks

Post by **billofdurham** » 15 Aug 2009, 12:14

The whole unit moves actually

S40 Wiper motor.pdf: (707.33 KiB) Downloaded 426 times

The attachment shows the wiper mechanism for your car. There should be 4 x bolts, #10 on the diagram, holding the bracket (#3) on which the motor sits to the car. However, there are 3 x bolts, #7 on the diagram, holding the wiper motor to the bracket. When you say that the whole unit moves does the bracket move or does the motor move without the bracket?

The bar (#8) will move to some degree as the linkage sits on rubber bushings at the pivot points.

(possible I didn't do a mechanic quality job).

Some mechanics don't do a very good job so don't sell yourself short!

The pads and discs need to be checked for wear. Usually a visual check will suffice. Remove the road wheels in turn to get a look at the brake pads. They should have a minimum of 2mm of material left on them. In the UK most tyre houses will do a free brake check for owners who aren't too sure of what to check. Most of them are honest and won't do unnecessary work. It may be the same in the US.

Bill.

mytyvolvo1 · Post by **mytyvolvo1** » 15 Aug 2009, 16:38

Thank you for the confidence booster.

Well, I believe I found the problem. The bracket only had three of the four screws showing, and when I felt below where the bracket was connected to the motor, the missing screw wasn't just absent, but that quarter portion of the bracket was broken off and missing. There was also another corner of the bracket that was present and screwed into the car, but also broken off from the rest, thus independent and not effective.

Can I just buy the bracket and replace it to the motor myself, or do I need to replace the whole motor unit (as I am sure my garage or dealer will suggest)?

Thank you for the diagram, and subsequent diagnosis!
Cheers Bill.

Post by **billofdurham** » 16 Aug 2009, 11:19

The bracket is listed as a separate part but there is no part number given. Phone or call into a Volvo dealer and find out if you can get this part.

If not you could try taking the broken parts off the car and find someone who can weld the pieces together for you. A small shop will be able and probably willing to do this.

Bill.

mytyvolvo1 · Post by **mytyvolvo1** » 17 Aug 2009, 17:28

This one has been solved!

In my ineptitude, I mistook the motor and bracket for the transmission and bracket. This is not an obvious mistake, so I had a laugh and got my head straight again. It was where the driver side wiper mounting should have been held to the car with three screws, but was only done so by one, thus causing the wiper to catch onto the hood and be loose.

I went to the best Volvo scrap yard in Milwaukee, purchased a transmission system with the bars and hardware for $50. I also picked up a replacement speaker housing unit (d), and a few missing bits for a couple bucks.

I had to remove the four flange screws holding the MOTOR to the car (I didn't have to unplug anything from the motor) and pull the bars out of the opening a little bit to get at the hexagon nut connecting motor to the link bars, loosen that and work them out.

After a little cleaning, the newsed parts were put in, making sure that the bars were on the bottom, so as not to cause a counter-clockwise blade rotation. Remounted the two wiper-mounts to the car (3 nuts each), and tested them with out the wipers on.

Wipers on and pieced back together, and my first of many projects to be with this little S40 is complete. THANKS FOR ALL THE HELP!

Mike

Post by **billofdurham** » 19 Aug 2009, 12:35

Thank you for the update. We are here to help.

Bill.